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Japan Times
2 days ago
- General
- Japan Times
Japan lawmakers likely to put off decision on imperial family plan
The ruling and opposition parties are highly likely to postpone a decision on ways to secure the number of imperial family members as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan remain far apart on the matter, senior party members said. Leaders of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, who have been mediating informal talks between the two parties, have found it difficult to reach a conclusion before the current parliamentary session is set to end on June 22. Some are calling for an interim report to summarize discussions. The ruling and opposition parties are split over an option of adopting back into the imperial family male members in the paternal line of 11 former branches of the family. They have broadly agreed to allow female imperial family members to remain in the family even after marriage. Still, the LDP is reluctant to give the status of an imperial family member to husbands and children of female imperial family members due to concerns that this could possibly pave the way for people from the maternal line to become emperors. LDP supreme adviser Taro Aso and CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda have held informal talks on the matter since March under the mediation of Lower House Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga and Vice Speaker Koichiro Genba. Aso has insisted that husbands and children of female imperial family members should become part of the family only if the husbands are in the paternal line of the former branches. Noda has proposed leaving any decision to the Imperial House Council. The four members in the talks canceled a meeting on Tuesday. "We'll start over in fall," one of the four said. Nukaga had been aiming to agree on a draft plan among the four members and present it to the overall meeting of lawmakers before the current Diet session ends, but this has become unlikely.
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 days ago
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan's Ruling, Opposition Parties to Delay Compiling Plan on Imperial Succession; General Agreement on Female Imperial Family Members Keeping Status
The Yomiuri Shimbun Members of the Liberal Democratic Party and Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan attend a meeting on Imperial succession in April. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan are expected to postpone compiling a plan for stable Imperial succession. The leaders and deputy leaders of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors had hoped to have the plan be completed before the upper house election this summer, according to sources. The two parties apparently decided they needed more time for discussions, as they failed to overcome their differences after several unofficial meetings. The parties mostly discussed two issues: whether to allow female Imperial family members retain their Imperial status after marriage and whether the Imperial family should adopt male descendants of male lines of former Imperial family branches. The parties are generally in agreement on the issue of female Imperial family members retaining their status. However, the LDP opposed the idea of giving husbands and children of female Imperial family members Imperial status. The LDP said it is concerned that it might lead to an emperor from the female line. The CDPJ, on the other hand, seemed positive about the idea of having an emperor from the female line. LDP top adviser Taro Aso and CDPJ leader Yoshihiko Noda have repeatedly held unofficial negotiations, looking for common ground. Aso argued that Imperial status should only be given to the husbands and children of female Imperial family members if her husband is a descendant from the male line of one of the 11 branch families that lost their Imperial status after World War II. Noda presented a plan to have the Imperial House Council resolve the Imperial status issue. As both parties are in general agreement regarding female Imperial family members retaining their Imperial status after marriage, some said a plan should be compiled ahead of other issues. However, House of Representatives Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga took a more cautious stance and said the issue should be decided at the same time as whether to give husbands and children an Imperial status and pushed to postpone the final decisions.
Yomiuri Shimbun
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Opposition Parties Score Win with Minister's Sacking, but Hurdles Remain to Bringing Down Cabinet
The Yomiuri Shimbun Yoshihiko Noda, right, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, speaks during Diet debates between party leaders as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, left, listens. With opposition parties holding a majority in the lower house, they managed to band together on Wednesday and push the ruling bloc into a corner, forcing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to sack the agriculture minister. After Taku Eto was dismissed as agriculture, forestry and fisheries minister, Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, called the move 'inevitable.' '[Eto] was not the right person for minister,' Noda told reporters. 'I believe [his dismissal] was the result of opposition parties sharing the same position on the issue.' Noda, who has failed to gain traction during the current Diet session, appeared to be trying to highlight his success with Eto's dismissal. Even so, due to their conflicting positions, the CDPJ and the other opposition parties face significant hurdles to passing a no-confidence motion against Ishiba's Cabinet, which will be a major issue toward the end of the Diet session next month. The Democratic Party for the People has argued that the CDPJ should make the first move since it is the largest opposition party. '[The CDPJ] has called for a change of government,' said DPFP Secretary General Kazuya Shinba. 'So it would be a shame if [the CDPJ] didn't submit a no-confidence motion.' The CDPJ chafed at Shinba's comments, with one member saying, 'He only said that because [the DPFP] won't assume responsibility for the decision to submit [a motion].' The CDPJ has been assessing what would happen after a non-confidence motion succeeded, which has left it on the fence about submitting a motion. If the motion were to pass, the Cabinet would have to dissolve the House of Representatives or resign en masse. Since the CDPJ does not appear to enjoy robust public support, many of its members in the lower house do not want the chamber to be dissolved. Some members are even hoping that Ishiba's Cabinet will not resign, given the House of Councillors election that will be held this summer. 'Because Ishiba's approval ratings are so low, it'd be to our advantage to face off against him as the prime minister in the upper house election,' said a senior member of the CDPJ.
Yomiuri Shimbun
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Calls for Consumption Tax Cut: Judgment of Each Party Is Being Questioned
With the House of Councillors election approaching this summer, opposition parties are increasingly calling for reducing in the consumption tax rate. During intensive deliberations at a session of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, opposition parties criticized Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is cautious about a tax rate cut. Among upper house members of the Liberal Democratic Party who will defend their seats in the summer election, there are also simmering calls for a tax cut. However, the Consumption Tax Law stipulates that the tax must be used as a source of funding for social security programs such as pensions, medical care and nursing care. If the consumption tax is reduced, there will be no way to avoid cutting social security services unless alternative fiscal sources are secured. Discussions on a tax cut without addressing such crucial issues and only seeking to gain votes in the upper house election cannot be described as anything but irresponsible. The judgment of each party is being questioned. With wage increases failing to keep pace with rising prices, many people are struggling to make ends meet. Measures to support people in need are necessary, but those steps should be considered temporary. Also, the sharp rise in rice prices is a matter of agricultural policy and is not directly related to the consumption tax situation. Linking the consumption tax to rising prices could confuse the direction of economic policy. Consumption tax revenue totaled ¥23.8 trillion in fiscal 2024. Of this amount, ¥4.6 trillion has been allocated to local governments, leaving ¥19.2 trillion for social security expenses. At the same time, total social security expenses amounted to ¥33.4 trillion. This means a shortfall of about ¥14 trillion if all the designated consumption tax revenue is allocated to social security. The remaining costs would have to be covered by other tax revenues. Reducing the consumption tax at a time when there is a struggle to secure funding for social security expenses would require reducing various budgets. However, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is calling for cutting the consumption tax rate to 0% on foodstuffs for one year. CDPJ President Yoshihiko Noda worked on raising the rate to 10% when he was prime minister, during the administration of the now defunct Democratic Party of Japan. His current shift to support a tax cut appears to have been forced by the CDPJ upper house members who will run in the election this summer. It is hard for Noda to avoid criticism for lacking consistency. The Japan Innovation Party is calling for no consumption tax on foodstuffs for two years. The Democratic Party for the People is demanding a temporary uniform reduction of the tax rate to 5%. DPFP leader Yuichiro Tamaki has even said 'deficit-covering bonds should be issued' to cover the costs. While the current working generation may temporarily benefit from the tax cut, issuing government bonds will ultimately lead to tax hikes in the future. Putting aside the issue of securing fiscal sources and focusing solely on handout policies is not the way to steer the nation's politics. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 13, 2025)
Japan Times
12-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
LDP and CDP see consumption tax cut as election issue
A possible cut to the consumption tax rate will be a campaign issue in this summer's election of the House of Councilors, key members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan have said. In a speech in the city of Kagoshima on Sunday, LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama said: "What will be questioned in this election? One would be the consumption tax." He criticized opposition parties for advocating a consumption tax cut, saying, "In order to ensure social security, where are they going to seek financial resources for the consumption tax cut?" Moriyama emphasized, "As a responsible party, the LDP will carry out fiscal management without error for the future of the nation." CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda told reporters in Sapporo that if the ruling camp does not decide on the consumption tax cut, it would have to become an election issue. "The inaction (of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's administration) will be an issue," Noda also said, criticizing the administration's failure to offer a cash handout or a tax cut. The CDP has proposed to cut the consumption tax rate on food items to zero for a limited time. Japan's consumption tax currently stands at 10%, excluding food and some other items for which the tax rate is 8%.
